The Wrap with Two Gay Guys! video blog: Vampires are so over

First, I just have to say that I love your new vlog; I was mum about your previous skit-oriented vlogs, but now that you've returned to just talking with each other, your give and take, your little asides, it's wonderful! Keep it up!

I would definitely read an interview with the fabulous Christine Baranski (I've seen Mamma Mia! three times now, would love to see her nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar, but doubt it will happen); but, just so you know, the real deity is The Great And Glorious Goddess Known To Mere Mortals As Kate Winslet!

You know, I've never cared for the "vampires as gay metaphor" thing, either, precisely for the reasons you state; but, then, I've never cared for vampires much at all--I stopped reading Interview with a Vampire 20 pages before you did, Michael, but that was because I was bored. Out. Of. My. Mind. Anne Rice is a horrible writer--she needed an editor back then, not just later.

I feel like you guys a lot of the time: the critics fall all over themselves praising unorignal, bland stuff like The Dark Knight or Million Dollar Baby or Babel (or, as I like to call it, Blabble) while dissing far more interesting and invigorating work such as Mamma Mia! or Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Often, I walk out of the cinema thinking, did I see the same movie the critics saw? (Of course, you and I have disagreed, too: remember C.R.A.Z.Y. and The Witnesses?--fabulous, brilliant films, but y'all didn't seem to care for them. C'est la vie!)

You guys are a really cute couple, but you do come off a bit like cojoined twins, which removes some of the energy from your discussions.   And as for Wall-E, regardless of how you found the movie, I find it ironic that two skinny guys who make their livings criticising others for sterotyping can still summon up "Fat = Lazy."  Kudos on that little insight.

 Nous Sommes Tous Sauvages.

Forget about the vampire as gay metaphor. I agree, I have had enough of vampires as anything to last several lifetimes. Come on, Hollywood, get some new material!

I, for one, would love to read a Christine Baranski interview. I first saw her in the 70's as Helena (or was it Hermia?) in A Midsummer Night's Dream in Central Park and I have loved her ever since. She makes even the most pedestrial of projects worth watching and in a good role will always steal to show. A luminous talent like Christine makes all the popular, young pop-tarts seem like dullard amateurs in comparison. Bring on the interview. I'm sure she will have much interesting and fun stuff to say.

in Interview with the Vampire, was for underground sex in general.  Gay sex, BDSM, and even child sexuality as personified by Claudia.  The book works because it actually was a metaphor, unlike most of the others which were pretty much literal (though fantasy) narratives...and also florrid over-blown pot boilers. But I have to agree, though I loved Joss Whedon's scripting in Buffy, now that the genre (vampire romance) has become a full fledged industry...it is totally played out.

Nous Sommes Tous Sauvages.

Hey guys

Loved your entry this week. Right off the bat I have to say to Michael, get rid of that mustache. It does not look good on you and it looks like your preparing to audition for the "Springtime for Hitler" number in The Producers.

Where to begin? I am only 22 years old and I remember watching the sitcom Cybil with my grandmother before I was 10. My grandmother and I loved Christine Baranski's character and whenever I see her in a movie (The Birdcage, Chicago) I get excited to see how she'll deliver her lines. Also, Baranski is not a totally underrated actress. She was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in Cybill 4 times (1995-1998), winning in 1995. She was also nominated in 1999 for a guest role on Frasier. She also has two Tonys for Best Featured Actress in a Play. If you guys did an interview with Mrs. Baranski, I would read it without any hesitation.

As for WALL-E, I loved this movie. I was worried because I was really excited, read a lot of hype for it, and the reviews were sensational. A lot of times when that trifecta happens I end up hating the movie. But this was one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Take care and keep up the great vlogs.

I'm with Brent, I say bring on the diva interview - to be honest, I'd be FAR more interested in a good bawdy Q&A than another Nuke/Ollian/reality show discussion (blasphemy, I know). And Michael, if you're worried about nobody checking it out, include a few good pics with shirtless guys - put in a couple of screencaps from her square dance scene with the half-naked cater-waiters from Jeffrey, and then a couple more from the "Does Your Mother Know" beach scene from Mamma Mia! - and they'll be clicking on the interview like crazy! I'd also wager there's a couple of good scenes from Cybill that would yield some interesting pictures.

On a shallow note, I love a good moustache on a man, and I think yours really suits you, Michael - would that be a "clap it?" In any case, the only opinions that should count on this subject are yours and Brent's, so as long as it works for the two of you, it should stay.

afhickman

"It takes a village (to make Village People)"

I'm trotting the globe again, but I'm never too busy to PIMP FOR TITIYO.  She has a new video out with Marit Bergman called "300 Slow Days in a Row."  The video is, frankly, more interesting than the song, as it implies a relationship between the two women that ends with them in bed.  Don't get me wrong: there's nothing remotely glamorous about any of this (it's mostly played for laughts), but it's kinda cute, and I really like the idea of Titiyo "acting" a part.  Marit has been down this route before ("Adios Amigos"), but it's new territory for my girl.  See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBA3Jg_cWp8 

By the way...Christine Baranski was brilliant on Cybil, which may say more about her chemistry with Cybil Shepherd than anything else, because she seemed totally out of place in "Mama Mia."  Of course, it didn't help that, like too many of the songs, her solo came from completely out of left field and did nothing either to advance the story or to showcase her talents.  It was Julie Walters who stole the show, IMHO, along with the incredible, edible Dominic Cooper. 

I too feel that Christine Baranski is criminally underappreciated, and I am 27. I will be driving the 1000+kms it will take to get from the Canadian Shield to NYC to see Christine in Boeing Boeing next month, and I am very excited about it. An interview here with her would be a lot of fun.

It's interesting to read the Mamma Mia reviews about her scene; some think it's not that great, but I've looked at several that believe her song was the best part of the movie, or at least the most organized. I love Julie Walters and Meryl Streep too, but their numbers were relatively disjointed, and I don't think Julie Walters shimmying on a table or crawling along a roof ridge can really compare to Christine's choreography in Does Your Mother Know. It's pretty obvious who has voice and dance training in Mamma Mia and who does not (the audience I was in for MM broke into nervous laughter when Pierce Brosnan started singing SOS).

If anyone doubts Christine Baranski's musical theatre abilities, they need look no further than reviews of her portrayal as Mrs. Lovett in the 2002 Kennedy Center production of Sweeney Todd; a non-commercial cast recording is also floating around online. I also really enjoyed her Mary Sunshine character in the film version of Chicago, which is usually played by a counter tenor in drag on stage. I read that although she was asked to play the character as a female, she secretly made her gay regardless.

Anyway, all this to say: bring on the Baranski!  

Eire

Although I enjoy the homoerotic metaphors in Ann Rice's books, I think there is a big difference between metaphor and direct analogy - like with David Ball's 'True Blood'.

To make a direct analogy between the gay civil rights movement and the civil rights of a negatively-connoted group of fictitious characters that drink blood and have been known as a cause of death to humans is completely offensive to me.

I find it to be another form of gay-bashing and I can hardly wait (not) for the general public to start referring to the GLBT community as "vampires"... 

-Sibelius

"It's curtains for you, Dr. Horrible. Lacy, wafting curtains..."

Sorry you didn't receive any response to your interview with Susan Sarandon but I welcome interviews with Christine Baranski and other mature actresses (and actors) as long as they're talented. So please don't ignore them.

I like reading about artists of all ages!  I'm over 40 but I am interested in artists younger and older as long as they have something valuable to say.

I was disappointed about halfway through WALL-E as well. I think the movie lost focus when the robots went into space and I thought the human characters were boring. I did find it interesting, though, that songs from a bad movie musical like Hello, Dolly! became WALL-E's obsession. (I liked Hello, Dolly! on stage but the movie version is overproduced.)

The vampire thing is getting lame but I was beginning to get interested in Moonlight mainly because of the lead actor but then CBS killed the show. I see no reason to watch another vampire show on HBO, which I would have to renew my subscription for.